WWMRD (What Would My Readers Do?)

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So I mused and mused about my dilemma yesterday regarding Anna's missing iPhone and Peter's desire to search my house for it while I wasn't going to be home. I know it's a petty thing - the most he'll uncover is dust bunnies and probably some Fruit Loops under the couch or something - but it feels like he's crossing a boundary and I'm not crazy about that.

I was trying to think of a way to broach the subject with him, when I thought to myself, "Well, my readers would say...." and I realized I had the answer.

This really isn't entirely about him poking around my house. There's a bigger issue at play, here - the issue of Anna's lack of responsibility with her expensive gift, and her reluctance to clean her messy room. I refuse to do those things for her, because she needs to realize that her inattention (to both her room and the location of her iPhone) comes with consequences. If Peter comes in and starts cleaning and looking for her (and I assure you, he'd have to do one to accomplish the other), it would defeat the lesson entirely.

Well, I wrote him an email and told him so. And he agrees, reluctantly. I did promise him that while the kids are away this weekend, I'll give the rest of the house another thorough going-over, eliminating everywhere it could be but her room. If the phone is there, it's her job to find it, not mine. And not his, either.

So you see, Readers, your voices stay with me even when I'm not looking at a computer screen. Your endless pool of wisdom and common sense has given me a nice well to draw from, and I used it to good effect this time. I'll just keep on asking myself: WWMRD? I know you won't let me down!